GCN Radio - October 28, 2005
Transcribed by Vombatus

To listen to this episode, visit http://www.gaychristian.net/gcnradio

[GCN Radio Intro]

BRIAN: It's good to be here for another GCN Radio and I am so honored to be talking with a television star! It is he, it is Justin!

JUSTIN: [Laughs] Woo hoo!

BRIAN: My goodness sakes. And before we say anything else about the show, and about the Dr. Phil show, you looked so good on TV and had such a presence and... Gee whiz! I mean, how many people can say that they know someone from the Dr. Phil show?

JUSTIN: Probably a lot, but...

BRIAN: No, you're the first friend I've had on the Dr. Phil show, though not the first friend I've had on Jerry Springer. Just kidding.

JUSTIN: Well, in case anybody has not be listening to GCN Radio in the past... Where have you been?!? Hello, hello! We should explain that of course I, Justin, have just been on Dr. Phil. My segment got severely edited and it was very short. But I actually went on to represent GCN, even though all my references to GCN got cut. We were talking about ex-gay ministries on the show. But, you know, the thing that I've been hearing from people about the show is, "Wow, dude! You were in a suit!"

BRIAN: [Laughs]

JUSTIN: People had never seen me in a suit before.

BRIAN: I know, I hadn't either. I thought, "Wow, it's Justin in a suit." I have to admit I thought that.

JUSTIN: Now, to be fair, Brian, you and I don't really hang out, so it's not like you see what I wear everyday. I don't want people to get the impression that I never wear suits... even though I never wear suits. But people don't need to know that. Our listeners can imagine that I record the show, in a suit, every day... very, very business-like.

BRIAN: Let's just say that there's a reason this is radio and not television. You don't have to know what we're wearing while we're recording.

JUSTIN: I'm a t-shirt and jeans guy. Not all of the time, but a lot of the time. But, I also do not scowl all the time. It seemed like they cut to me scowling, and I was smiling through most of the taping. And people were like, "Oh you seemed so angry!" I really wasn't...I said some really happy things, they just got cut out.

BRIAN: I was amazed because I was really looking at it, since I knew you were going to be on the show, I was looking at it from an "Okay, so what are they editing" sort of standpoint and watching the show 'start to finish', they really, really do a lot of what's called in the business post-production on the show. It's really highly edited and I think that they... it seems that the producers are wanting to create a certain effect with the effect with the audience with the shots they select and the things that they use. It's a shame they did not mention GCN, but they also didn't mention Father David's affiliation, his church or anything like that, so I think that maybe they do it as a safety precaution so that you can't be hunted down, or something.

JUSTIN: I don't know, but anyway.

BRIAN: Well, let me ask you this: What did you find most surprising about the overall experience.

JUSTIN: Wow. Everything happened so fast. It's just boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. I mean, I didn't know that they were going to have me on the show until the night before I was getting on the plane. And then I'm on the plane and then I get there and then a car picks me up and they're just driving me around constantly. The day that the show was taped, I had to be up, dressed, packed and checked out of my hotel at seven in the morning. The whole experience was bizarrely crazy.

BRIAN: And it really kind of came about in an unexpected way.

JUSTIN: Right, because they contacted me initially to talk to a family. And the family that they had on the show they did not get in contact with through us. I don't know how they met that family, but they were trying to find a family and they contacted me but we just didn't have anybody that was willing to go on and bare their souls in front of seven million Americans, or however many people watch Dr. Phil. But they asked me if I'd be willing to go on and debate an ex-gay guy, and that's what happened. And I wish that we could've talked more, because you know, the thing about it, when you go on a show you don't have a lot of time to really explain your nuanced position. You don't have time to really discuss all of the pro's and con's of everything. "I believe this, but I also believe that." It's hard to get that across in such a small period of time. And then, that's the thing, too. I felt so serious... like I said I don't scowl all the time? I'm not serious all the time. Brian, you and I were joking around just a minute ago...

BRIAN: Exactly, you were saying... I mean, I've had the good fortune of meeting you in person and you're fun and funny and you joke around. You're a funny guy!

JUSTIN: Aw thanks.

BRIAN: But then that leads me into, was the experience in the live audience at the taping a different experience than what we saw on the television?

JUSTIN: Well, it's a lot longer, you know? They tape a lot more than they air. But you know that, obviously. I mean, it's an edited show. Dr. Phil is very, very nice in person. You know, because people ask me, "Is he really a jerk? Is it all fake?" If it is, then I didn't pick up on it, because he seemed just really sincere, a really nice guy.

BRIAN: Very much like he comes across on the air.

JUSTIN: Yeah, yeah. And I'd never watched the show before, which I really didn't want to admit to them when they called me and asked if I'd be willing to be on it. I didn't want to be like, "Dr. Who?" Oh, wait, Dr. Who is a different show. But, I knew who he was but I'd never watched the show before. So then I watched it. And I have to say, after watching the show only a couple of times and then being in the studio audience and taping the show, the one thing that you can never ever get out of your head is their little theme song, because they have this every time the go to commercial [sings] De-ne-ner-nee-na-nee![/sings]

BRIAN: Exactly.

JUSTIN: And it sticks in your head! It's just like, "Arrgh, get it out of my head!" And so, I still wake up in the middle of the night singing it.

BRIAN: You could make that your ring-tone on your phone.

JUSTIN: Oh, please, no!

BRIAN: Just kidding, just kidding. Well, as I think you did a nice job, and as I said on a previous show, it is good that dialog has occurred. I'm still processing. Well, I think the show was informational, yes. What kind of a feeling did I come away with? I can't tell you because I'm still kind of working through that.

JUSTIN: Well, the thing is, a TV show, is for entertainment. And I think that they try really hard with shows like Dr. Phil to try and educate people and to try and give people something positive to take away from it, but the fact of the matter is, you can't solve the world's problems on a television show like that, in that kind of format. It's just not--you can't have the level of discussion that's needed in that kind of format, when you deal with a specific issue or a specific part of an issue for ten minutes, what can you accomplish in ten minutes, other than just vaguely outlining the issues?

BRIAN: That's why are GCN Radio shows have come upward of twenty-six minutes, starting from...

JUSTIN: We're saving the world here. We're solving the world's problems. Dr. Phil? Ehhhh...

BRIAN: That's funny.

JUSTIN: No, I mean, but obviously we try, just as they do, to deal with issues, but there are some things that take a lot more than a radio show or a television show or a podcast or a personal blog. Some of these issues really take years to deal with.

BRIAN: Absolutely.

JUSTIN: So, I think you can only do what you can do. My hope is that people that saw the show will be motivated to seek out more information. I think that's the main thing that we can hope for. Plus, of course, people know now that I'm available for interviews if they need me for anything. Hint hint.

BRIAN: That was a not-so-subtle plug for Justin's speaking. No, you are a fine speaker...

JUSTIN: Barbara! Barbara Walters, call me! I'm here.

BRIAN: Hey, there you go. I know that we have our ace reporter Eric Pachicano, a.k.a. Pach...

JUSTIN: PACH!!!

BRIAN: You're a nut! What did they do to you in LA?

JUSTIN: PACH!! PACHICANO!!!! I had some caffeine today.

BRIAN: Pach is in the house!

JUSTIN: What house is he in? He's not even in the studio.

BRIAN: No no, we're not in a 'house', we're in a virtual studio sort of, kind of.

JUSTIN: Anyway, back to the news...

BRIAN: So yeah, we've got Pach, the dude, he's in the house, he's there, and he has some news that we're going to be listening to, and here he is, the Man, Pach:

PACH: Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is Eric "Pach" Pachicano and it that time ago where you get to hear my beautiful voice telling you this week's news.

Topping off this week's news, in Florida, the Supreme Court will be asked to answer the question as to whether or not a non-ordained school chaplain has the same right for privacy as a priest, a minister, or a rabbi. A case about a private Chrsitian school that expelled a high school senior after he told the chaplain he was in fact gay. Jeffrey Woodard, now 20, and his mother are seeking damages from the school after he was thrown out just three days into the 2003 school year. The non-denominational school chaplain is not an ordained minister, but he teaches Bible for the school.

A little further north in New York a divided state appeals court ruled recently that a man cannot sue a Manhattan hospital for malpractice in the death of his long-time partner, saying it could not provide approval for same-sex marriages. In 2003 there was a decision that John Langen of Vermont could sue St. Vincent's Hospital for alleged malpractice in the death of Neil C. Spicenholder. The appeals court in a 3-2 vote decided that Langen had no standing to sue the hospital despite the couples' 2000 civil union in Vermont.

In Pennsylvania, Penn State will look into claims by a gay-rights advocacy group that women's basketball coach Renee Portland discriminated against players she believed were lesbians. According to the suit, Portland has repeatedly questioned a woman named Harris about her sexual orientation, threatened to kick her off the team if she was a lesbian, and told other players not to associate with players whom Portland believed were gay.

And finally, to the West Coast... In San Diego, a California appeals court heard a case recently for a woman who sued her doctors after they alleged refused to artificially inseminate her because she was gay. The physicians are appealing the ruling that prevented them from raising religious freedom as a defense in the test of whether doctors can deny treatment to gays and lesbians.

And now I give you this week's good news: Matthew 6:25-27 in the American Standard Version. "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds; they don't need to plant and harvest or put food in barns because their heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are."

Remember, if you have any news ideas, tips or encouragement, you can give me a holla-back Girl by e-mail at news@gaychristian.net. Thanks for listening, and until next week this is your friend neighborhood Pach reminding you that tomorrow's news will soon be yesterday's history. I am out!

JUSTIN: Pach!

BRIAN: Hey, there we are. News with Pach. Wow, lots of legislation and litigation in the news.

JUSTIN: What's that about?

BRIAN: Well, lots going on...

JUSTIN: The gays, they are a-suin'!

BRIAN: Times, they are a-changin', gays, they are a-suin'. If you have any other news, suggestions, of course you can e-mail them.

JUSTIN: You can e-mail that to Pach at news@gaychristian.net.

BRIAN: Good, good. We have a question we wanted to get to this week. We've had a lot of success with this Question of the Week and...

JUSTIN: Question of the Weeeeeek! Yeah!

BRIAN: What is that character? Is that your new alter-ego? Gay Christian monster?

JUSTIN: Well, you know, every week it'll be somebody different. You just don't know. I have to switch it up a little bit, because people get tired of hearing me just blah-bl-blah-bl-blah. So you gotta throw a little--because I wanted to do that on Dr. Phil, but for some reason they didn't want me to.

BRIAN: [laughs]

JUSTIN: Whenever they come out and ask me some questions, "Dr. Philll! Dr. Phil Rulz! Woo wooo!" They might have thrown me out.

BRIAN: You know, it's kind of like a dog sound...

JUSTIN: A dog sound?

BRIAN: I think it sounds a bit like...

JUSTIN: Aroooo!

BRIAN: No, more like a ... "woof" sound.

JUSTIN: Are you calling me a dog, Brian? Roof roof.

BRIAN: Yeah, see, that's what I mean.

JUSTIN: This week, it's Dr. Phil, next week you'll see me on a Gravy Train commercial.

BRIAN: Oh my.

JUSTIN: I just though after the Dr. Phil show where I had to be so serious and everything, and everybody thought I was so, like, angry, I had to let people know that I'm not that way.

BRIAN: That's good. Happy Justin.

JUSTIN: Okay, so Question of the Week. We need a little sound effect. When we say 'Question of the Week' it needs to go [singing] Da-na-na-nuh-na-nuh![/singing] And then we'd get sued by Paramount, and then we could do a show about being sued by Paramount.

BRIAN: Oh my. We could be just like all the gays that are suing.

JUSTIN: Oh, yeah. And we could tell Pach to do a news story about us getting sued, and we could say that they're suing us because we're gay. Because everything is because you're gay.

BRIAN: That's right, exactly.

JUSTIN: All right...

BRIAN: [singing] Because I'm gay.... [/singing]

JUSTIN: [signing] I feel pretty and witty and gay! [/singing] Okay, we asked a question a couple of weeks ago and we'll talk about that next week. But this was last week we asked a question, because I like to, you know, mix it up. So we asked a question last week: "What would you like to say to your parents or parents of gay people out there?" And we got some responses, so I'm going to read a few of them:

David wants to say to the parents--he writes, "It is not your fault!! It is not anyone's fault! It is not a fault!" Not necessarily in that order.

I like that answer!

BRIAN: That's a good answer.

JUSTIN: Curt says, "Gay or straight, the standards you set to allow your child to discover relationships should be the same."

Sean writes to tell the parents, "Love and listen."

That's what he wants to teach them. So, those are a few of the responses we got. This wasn't one of our more popular questions this week.

BRIAN: I think it's a tough question. And really, I think that that was touched on, on the Dr. Phil show when the segment with that family, where they were clearly dealing with some challenges.

JUSTIN: I felt so bad for that family, didn't you?

BRIAN: I did, I really did. And it's hard to know that whole dynamic of family and relationships... it's a challenge that we all have to work through in different ways and hopefully, as time goes on, that more places and people can be supportive. I have to hope for that. I think that really dovetails well into our Question this week, which is dealing with validation. We all want to feel validation and to feel affirmed for who we are and accepted. And the question for this week is, "What do you need from other people to feel validated?"

JUSTIN: Hmmm. That's a good question. So we're talking about maybe if you're in a situation where you have a friend or a family member who says, "I don't approve of your being gay", that kind of thing, what do you need from them? Or do you need for them to agree in order to feel validated by them or what do you need from them?

BRIAN: Right, agreement or still be your friend if you don't agree... you know, what is it that you're needing from that relationship, from that other person? It could be another person: a friend, a coworker, a pastor, a parent, any other relative...a sister or brother. When you have your answer you can either post it on our GCN Radio page or you can call our phone line at 1-888-GAY4GOD and leave your answer in an audio form that we can possibly play on the show, or as I said, you can type your answer in the little box right there on GCN Radio.

JUSTIN: And the GCN Radio page is http://www.gaychristian.net/gcnradio/.

BRIAN: All right!

JUSTIN: Oddly enough, that's what it is.

BRIAN: Shock!

JUSTIN: Wow. Well, this has been a totally silly show, and I'm sorry, I'm just... I'm hyper, I'm glad to be back and uh, yeah, all those good things. But I think now it's time to say goodbye to all our company.

BRIAN: [giggles]

JUSTIN: G-C-N...

BRIAN: N-E-T-W-O-R....K. Something like that. M-O-U-S-E. Justin Mouse. Justin Mouse!

JUSTIN: Justin Mouse?

BRIAN: I thought you were signing the...

JUSTIN: I was, yeah. I've just never been called Justin Mouse before.

BRIAN: Now you're Justin Mouse.

JUSTIN: Well, we'll have to come out with a voice for that character next week.

BRIAN: You're the voice man, I'm sure you can.

JUSTIN: JUSTIN MOUSE!!! Justin MOUSE! That'd be a scary mouse, if you saw that mouse in your house.

BRIAN: That's right, oh my.

JUSTIN: He was in the house with Pach.

BRIAN: Exactly!

JUSTIN: Wooo! We will never be on the air again! People will never listen to us. Well, it's been a fun show, a fun week. Happy Friday to everybody, have a great weekend and..

BRIAN: ...and we'll look forward to seeing everyone next week. So for this week, I'm Brian...

JUSTIN: ... and I'm Justin.